MORE AVIAN FLU WORRIES: “The bottom line is that avian influenza is endemic and probably ineradicable among poultry in Southeast Asia, and now seems to be spreading at pandemic velocity among migratory birds, with the potential to reach most of the earth in the next year. . . . This exponential multiplication of hot spots and silent reservoirs (as among infected but asymptomatic ducks) is why the chorus of warnings from scientists, public-health officials, and finally, governments has become so plangently insistent in recent months.”

UPDATE: Hmm. Just noticed that the author of the quoted piece is also the author of this book on avian flu. I’m not sure which way that cuts.

ANOTHER UPDATE: I cover this stuff, but if you’re really interested you should be reading the Avian Flu Blog, which has a somewhat narrower focus.